2023 Permacrisis. Here we come

It has come along very fast. There have been so many changes.

The most obvious is: Who would have thought that it would be so easy to manipulate people and send us all scuttling to our homes, clutching face masks?

Now, they want us all out again, but confidence has been hit hard.

We never valued our health, but now that so many of us have had difficult experiences, we are loathe to sail forth, searching for new experiences.

The behaviour of the big tech companies has been frankly shocking. Up to 2021, they were recruiting at such a rate, that many of their recruiters, were poorly trained and were in place to keep filling positions. and keep increasing sales.

The manner in which they were so abruptly let go, was, frankly, appalling. People were receiving emails at 3:00 am. telling them that all their access codes had been revoked. Some received follow up emails, on their personal accounts, telling them that while they were still fired, the company needed them to complete a few tasks before leaving.

So, employers are not hiring at the moment and older people are not actively seeking employment. However, there are some smaller companies who would be delighted to get some help from a reliable, qualified, easy to work with, older person who might be happy working part time.

Now that people are beginning to move out, they want to explore and are delighted to find a local person who will give a light, interesting insight into some aspect of Irish life. The best bet is to talk about what you know about. Could be History, Architecture, Social Change, Farming, Doing Business, Music etc. Most people are happy to pay between 5 and 10 euro, but for those who add something unique and interesting, they will pay up to 30 euro a head. I do a free tour of Birr with special emphasis on the 19th and 20th centuries who left their mark. In fact, I can incorporate the history on Ireland in one 2 hour walking tour.

The idea is to pack in lots of information, but keep it light.

We are starting to travel again and I would encourage everyone to take a couple of short trips this year. We never know when ill health will stop us getting around. So while we still can,,get out there and enjoy yourselves.